We have an ongoing video series, “Micro Management Stories,” that runs as part of the On Leadership section here at the Washington Post. Every two weeks we feature a short interview with leaders in fields ranging from government to business to the arts, and we ask them to share an experience that shaped their career and the way they internalize what leadership and character mean.

Our latest installment in the series is an interview with opera singer Denyce Graves.

Graves, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1995 in the leading role of “Carmen,” has performed as a mezzo-soprano at opera houses across the globe. She was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up with her mother and two siblings in the District’s Southwest quadrant.

In this video, Graves recounts a story from earlier in her career when a director was unhappy to have her cast in his performance of “Carmen.” He hadn’t envisioned a black woman playing the title role in his rendition. The lesson Graves learned was one of perseverance and the power of relentless hard work. Watch her video in the player above, or click here:

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

Spam

Offensive

Disagree

Off-Topic

Among the criteria for featured comments: likes by users, replies by users, previous history of valuable commenting, and selection by moderators.

Content from Allstate This content is paid for by an advertiser and published by WP BrandStudio. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more about WP BrandStudio.